Almost time to start selling worms

In a few months time, Im aiming for May/June, I want to start selling my worms.

So, time to pick your brains.

Price: I've been looking around the net and most suppliers I've looked at have a range of prices from £12 per pound (500g) to £19 per pound.
These are for both fishing and composting and are dendros - as are all mine.
Typically you get the worms in a small amount of bedding mix, and need to have your own bedding and bin set up before ordering.

There are problems with this approch as worms can be very sensitive to the medium they grew up in and need a settling in period, and some have experienced losses when the worms were transferred to their new homes. (Some loss is almost always inevitable as we're dealing with living entities here).

My idea - rather than selling a set weight of worms, or a set number of worms (some sellers out there sell by the number count not weight) I was thinking about selling a starter kit mixture.

By that I mean, I'd sell a kilo of original bedding that would have a minimum weight in worms of half a kilo but probably more, but would also include loads of juvies and cucoons ( (worm eggs) along with other helpful composting creatures.

This would give the buyer a flying start to their composting and the worm numbers would multiply quickly because the adults will get to it, but also the cocoons will hatch, and the juvies will mature in a matter of weeks.

I was thinking of selling this at £12 plus postage.

I want to price at a point that will encourage people to try worms for their composting - or get into composting if it's new to them, so making money isn't really the objective but will be a nice byproduct.

I might at some point look into making and selling my own worm bins, or reselling some of the models out there, but I was thinking initially on the website to show people they can use just about anything as a bin, and in fact, don't even need a bin, to compost with worms. I'm much more interested in getting people to look around and see what they can reuse. I've used draws from an old chest, and currently one of my bigger bins, is an old wardrobe

Thoughts?

I have three seperate bins that live indoors for adults that go on a special beefing up diet for sale to anglers.
These would be sold by the number, not weight: £1.50 for 50 large fat dendros, £2.50 for 100 plus postage.

Thoughts?

Packaging - I've been collecting pots, tubs and gord knowns what else over the past year. I intend to use these to ship the worms off in to customers. This is in keeping with my aim of reusing and recycling as much as possible. For example the large empty tub of Clover with a few air holes is a perfect home to post off 50 or 100 large worms to an angler.
But will that put people off? Do people want and expect to get their worms in new, labled packaging? I can get new tubs sorted and lables printed, but that will add to the cost.

Thoughts?

Website - I'm about to purchase a domain name for this.
What would people like to see from a website?
Obviously the worms and compost and prices (I'll be selling verrmicopost too) but how about a blog, a how to section, a problems page ... what else?

Wormworked compost - or vermicompost (as opposed to pure worm castings) - this is a premium product compost. There's a ton of scientific information and studies out there that demonstrate how a 20% mix of vermicompost as a soil amendment produces better, healthier, stronger, bigger, more succulent, more disease resistent plants. Claims that fruits and veg grown with this amendment taste better also abound, but I'd have to take others word for that as I'm an obligate carnivor

What would people pay for this? I've seen prices of £5.00 per kilo (roughly 2 litrres). I was thinking of selling in the region of £3.00 per kilo plus postage, mostly to get rid of the stuff as my main focus is on selling the worms.

I realise you can get a ton of basic compost for a shilling, so I'm interested in your thoughts about this.

Any other income streams you can think of? I'm thinking about treats for chickens but what else?

Lastly (if you've got this far well done and thanks!) I want to get into schools to talk about vermicomposting. I can see how teaching about reusing, recycling and composting with worms falls nicely in with PSHE KS1/2 and also Science.
Who works with schools? What's involved?

I'm going to stop there but I'm sure I've more to pick your brains about - I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above.

Cheers.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Thoughts, in no particular order:

I like the bedding/worms/eggs/mix idea - but you might need to make your reasons and advantges crystal clear.

Most people would expect shiny new packaging. Perhaps you could say "will be shipped in upcycled containers unless buyer specifies new" - so if someone was giving a wormy gift it would still look good?

Other ideas - dehydrated worms for bird treats/wild bird food?

Improvised wormeries - I made one from 3 mineral buckets if that helps (the buckets have now been nicked for another project now). Perhaps have a reader submission page for wacky and wonderful ideas?

Vermicompost - if you can get links to the sciencey stuff, put up a references/resources page for the geeks amongst us Nothing sets off my woo-radar like "Studies show that xxx will cure cancer and reverse baldness" (you get the idea )

Londonworms

Thoughts, in no particular order:

I like the bedding/worms/eggs/mix idea - but you might need to make your reasons and advantges crystal clear.

Yup.

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Most people would expect shiny new packaging. Perhaps you could say "will be shipped in upcycled containers unless buyer specifies new" - so if someone was giving a wormy gift it would still look good?

Good thinking. Worms as gifts! I can see it now - give a worm a home this Christmas. I see your point. Right then - I'm going to have to give some simple, compostable packaging and design some thought.

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Other ideas - dehydrated worms for bird treats/wild bird food?

Good thinking again. Is that how people buy treats for birds? Dehydrated? Any attraction in buying live worms?

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Improvised wormeries - I made one from 3 mineral buckets if that helps (the buckets have now been nicked for another project now). Perhaps have a reader submission page for wacky and wonderful ideas?

That's pretty much what I'm thinking. Once the website is up, I'd love a page where people can submit pics of their home made bins to give others ideas and inspiration and share experiences.

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Vermicompost - if you can get links to the sciencey stuff, put up a references/resources page for the geeks amongst us Nothing sets off my woo-radar like "Studies show that xxx will cure cancer and reverse baldness" (you get the idea )

I didn't put the links up here because I didn't want to bog the thread down or derail my own thread lol. But they'll all be up on the website for people to read. I take your point.

Here's something to chow over in the meantime:

Earthworms and collembolans
Soil microorganisms dominate mineralisation processes and compete with plants for nutrients
(Kaye & Hart 1997, Hodge et al. 2000). Soil invertebrates affect the soil microbial community
and functioning directly by grazing but also indirectly by changing nutrient availability and
soil structure; both direct and indirect effects are known to affect plant performance and
ecosystem processes (Scheu 2001, Brown & Doube 2004, Bonkowski 2004). Results of the
present study suggest that both earthworms and collembolans increase plant performance
through enhanced nutrient mineralisation and an accompanying increase in plant nutrient
acquisition. Incorporation of surface litter material into the soil was highest in earthworm
treatments and less pronounced when only collembolans were present.

Earthworm casts have higher available nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and calcium contents than
surrounding soil, as well as a higher cation-exchange
capacity. Some micronutrients, such as zinc and
boron, are more available in the excrement of
earthworms through chelation of the micronutrients.

We have successfully experimented with the first four technologies for management of “municipal solid wastes”, treatment of “municipal & industrial wastewater”, remediation of “PAHs contaminated soils” and production of “wheat & corn crops” by use of vermicompost at Griffith University, Australia, with excellent results. Wastes are degraded by over 75% faster than conventional systems and compost produced are disinfected, detoxified, richer in nutrients & beneficial soil microbes; BOD loads & TSS of wastewater is reduced by over 95%; PAHs from contaminated soils are removed by over 80% in just 12 weeks; and crops growths are promoted by 30-40% higher as compared to chemical fertilizers. Earthworms are both “protective” & “productive” for environment and society.

I have tons of links to research, and am collecting peoples own pics of their plants grown in 20% vermicompost, which consistently show bigger healthier plants, with more shoots, buds and flowers.

I've got scientific papers from mostly American Universities but some from The Open University here.

They'll all be on the website when I have it up and running.

And my worm tea will put hair on your chest, whiten your teeth, make your legs look longer, and help you speak a foreign language fluently in just three weeks

Thanks for the imput.

onemanband

What about some like for like comparisons ?
i.e 2 identical compost heaps/bins but one started with your worms.

kirstyfern

Our chinese takeaways now come in clear, unlabelled plastic tubs - I wash and re-use them to freeze meals for my dad but have amassed a fair quantity now that are just taking up space. I'm sure an appeal on fb / freecycle would get people saving them for you - I can't stand the waste!
(and if you fancy a trip to the North of the county you are welcome to a bag full!)

I was looking at the 'dog poo wormery' at Crufts but the bin is quite expensive and I have tonnes of chicken manure so I didn't bother, but I know they have been quite popular recently - especially the smaller models.

Yes, dried worms are sold for hens 100g / £2.50 is the going rate for mealworms round here - in a pretty pack.

Londonworms

What about some like for like comparisons ?
i.e 2 identical compost heaps/bins but one started with your worms.

Another great idea. Good for the website as an ongoing story. I've been reading up on how to keep your website live with traffic as that helps the ratings, and having stories/articles to update regularly is apparently very important, so that would tick that box but would also be a very interesting experiment to do anyhow.

Thanks for the input.

Londonworms

Our chinese takeaways now come in clear, unlabelled plastic tubs - I wash and re-use them to freeze meals for my dad but have amassed a fair quantity now that are just taking up space. I'm sure an appeal on fb / freecycle would get people saving them for you - I can't stand the waste!
(and if you fancy a trip to the North of the county you are welcome to a bag full!)

I was looking at the 'dog poo wormery' at Crufts but the bin is quite expensive and I have tonnes of chicken manure so I didn't bother, but I know they have been quite popular recently - especially the smaller models.

Yes, dried worms are sold for hens 100g / £2.50 is the going rate for mealworms round here - in a pretty pack.

We have friends in Bishop Stortford we see fairly regularly so that's possible.

I've just had a look around and have seen dendros - the worms I have - being sold at £5.70 for 120g but that's live worms. Something to look a bit more into.

Now, the dog poo bins. This stuff annoys me. It's a bin. I've seen them for £50 t0 £70. Ridiculous. There's no special structural required just because it's going to compost dog poo. I compost our dogs poo and the fox poo we pick up from the garden in a plastic box 24 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches. It has holes for ventilation along the rim, a hole in the bottom for drainage and a lump of old wood covering the top. It's left out doors obviously. It works like a dream. The worms are thriving there and breaking down the waste no problem. While studies on human waste have shown most pathogens are broken down and rendered harmless by the worms, it's worth bearing in mind the waste will never get to the normal 60 to 70 degree C like it would in a normal compost pile, so that particular vermicompost should only be used on bushes, non fruiting trees and the like, and not on veg you're going to eat.

Thanks for the ideas and input.

Londonworms

Vermicompost - if you can get links to the sciencey stuff, put up a references/resources page for the geeks amongst us Nothing sets off my woo-radar like "Studies show that xxx will cure cancer and reverse baldness" (you get the idea )

Here's a good video from Cornell University - watch from about 3:30 for the disease woo woo

I hope you don't think I was calling you "woo" I like worms, but I've also been pointed to "oilpulling" too many times

Now, about your dog poo...
Does it smell much in summer? Do you mix anything in with the poo?

Andrea

My dog poo wormeries (home made, now on version 2) refuse to support worms, although contents are similar to the normal ones (with the addition of poo, obviously).

When I was trying to research the pathogen busting abilities of worms in human poo (we use compost loos) I could come up with no firm facts. If you have any research in your collection on this area I'd love to see it.

I love the ant farms with glass fronts designed for kids to study. Could you make similar set ups for worms in the classroom?

Could you also sell the worm 'tea'?

Pilsbury

Don't forget if you want to try heat sealed plastic bags for the vermicompost or even a portion of worms let me know and I will let you have some bags and a vac sealer to try.
Something I have learned is if the going to sell stuff "professionally" the look of packaging is important, it might be worth looking for biodegradable bags that you could use.

Londonworms

I hope you don't think I was calling you "woo" I like worms, but I've also been pointed to "oilpulling" too many times

Not at all. You're totally right to challenge any claims

The science is out there and is being done, and it's fascinating. Such little simple creatures can do such amazing things with their poop lol.
I might call the page on the site with the science MonkeyGirl Geek Corner in honour of you

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Now, about your dog poo...
Does it smell much in summer? Do you mix anything in with the poo?

No smell at any time. I have to show people by removing the lid that it's full of fox and dog poo because they don't believe it. It's great watching the kids friends lift the lid then scream and run away - the sight of worms munching poo being just that little bit too much for their delicate sensibilities

Londonworms

My dog poo wormeries (home made, now on version 2) refuse to support worms, although contents are similar to the normal ones (with the addition of poo, obviously).

Are you using normal food waste in there, along with the poo?
How many worms have you got and what type?
Is the poo put in fresh to the bins?
Are the dogs wormed?

I'm wondering about a couple of things here -
*if you're providing an alternative food source that will break down before the poo, the worms will work that first and show no interest in the poo.
*Is there enough weight of worms for the amount of poo you're putting in?
*What do you mean by ''refuse to support'' - If the worms are dying off it could be the effects of the worming medication in the poo. Could also be the set up depending on the type of worm you're using - are they getting enough air, is there a build up of ammonia going on in the bin ... could be a few things - hard to tell without more info.

My dogs are wormed but the poo seems to have no negative effect on the worms. The manure I use is also from horses that are wormed but that's well aged before I use it to make sure it's well past the heating up stage

It might be you're going to have to age the dog poo before using it.

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When I was trying to research the pathogen busting abilities of worms in human poo (we use compost loos) I could come up with no firm facts. If you have any research in your collection on this area I'd love to see it.

I'll dig out what I have and post it. I know the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales were working on research with toilet systems and tiger worms as late as last year. I don't know if that bit of work is finished or if the research is still going on - might be worth sending them an email.

That's the kind of set up I was thinking about for the classrooms, so they could see the worms in action. I've also got a usb microscope so I can project the action going on in the vermicompost onto a screen, so they can look out for all the life forms active in the vermicompost and get an understanding of how it really is a living system. I'm currently putting together a powerpoint slide show aimed at kids.

It's getting into the schools - how have people who've done this handled it? Just emailed the school putting a proposal to them?

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Could you also sell the worm 'tea'?

Yes, another possibility. But people often confuse worm tea with the leachate that seeps from the bins. A well managed bin in theory shouldn't have any leachate at all. Worm tea is a completely different thing - made from airating worm castings over 24 hours and adding molasses... it also has to be used within a very short time frame or it's effectiveness is basically nullified.

Definately worth considering though. I guess I could literally make ''teabags'' with castings (not vermicompost!) sell them, with instructions on how to make and use the worm tea.